The invention relates to a flag-carrying gate for skiing, with a flag panel held between two gate posts and having at opposite side edges two sleeve-like elements for receiving the gate posts and two upper clamping devices for the gate posts.
In a known flag-carrying gate of this type (EP 0 702 985 A1), the sleeve-like element receiving what is the outer gate post relative to the ski track to be limited by the gate is upwardly extended to provide a hose section which is closed at the end, and the upper end of the gate post received in this sleeve-like element projects into it. This closed hose section in a simple manner prevents the flag panel from being upwardly displaced along the outer gate post if the skier runs against the inner gate post on a ski track limited by such flag-carrying gates, which inner gate post usually has a pivotal joint enabling the inner gate to tilt about the joint downwardly and outwardly. Since an upper clamping sleeve axially immovably affixes the flag panel to the inner gate post, the downwardly pivoting inner gate post exerts a tension force on the flag panel, which is transmitted by the closed hose section to the outer gate post without having to fear a downward gliding of the flag panel along the outer gate post. Therefore, the flag panel maintains its axial position on both gate posts. The only requirement is to secure the closed hose section against displacement from the upper end of the outer gate post when the inner gate post resiliently rebounds into its original position. For this purpose, a rubber band is secured to this hose section and looped around the hose section and the outer gate post. While the friction joint produced between the hose section and the outer gate post prevents an undesired gliding of the hose section off the upper end of the outer gate post, drawing the flag panel off the outer gate post is assured if the flag panel is taken along by the skier between the gate posts. While these known flag-carrying gates have been successfully used, the possible deviating motion of the inner gate post caused by a skier running into it is limited because of the tensioned connection of the two gate posts by the flag panel, even if the flag material is elastic.
To make a maximum deviating motion of the inner one of two gate posts of a flag-carrying gate possible, it is also known (WO 89/07477 A1) to affix the flag panel to the inner, tiltable gate post by a sleeve through which the inner gate post extends while it is connected to the outer, non-pivotal gate post by a rubber traction member which extends within the outer gate post down to the lower end thereof to obtain a sufficient length for a free tilting of the inner gate post. However, this construction has the disadvantage that the rubber traction member extending inside the outer gate post requires a special gate post structure, and that the flag panel can be drawn off only the inner gate post by a skier taking it along. In addition, the outer gate post must be oriented relative to the inner gate post because of the recesses for the rubber traction member, and one must do with a reduced width of the flag panel because it has no sleeve-like element receiving the outer gate post.